Thaddeus's POV:

Being centuries old, I'd seen a lot of things. A lot. Things that would shock people to their core, things I couldn't unsee no matter how much I wanted, things that were so incredibly unbelievable, I didn't even bother telling the stories because I knew people would think they were made up.

And yet, I was still caught by surprise when the human Titas and Kristoff talked up came stumbling down the stairs, reeking of alcohol, had to be at least a foot shorter than me, and looked about just as threatening as a daisy. Even the crossbow in her hands, the guns in holsters at her sides, and the stakes strapped to her thighs didn't make her look threatening.

"This is the human?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as she struggled to find her balance, her gaze traveling around the room until it landed on us. Her nearly white hair hung down to her shoulders, and her icy eyes were glazed over. If the smell didn't give it away, the eyes did.

The human my brother relied on helping us was drunk.

"She's deadlier than she looks," Kristoff defended.

"I'm sure," I said sarcastically.

"Seriously," the human sighed, making her way towards us, throwing her arms up as she stared at Kristoff. "What did you do now?"

"Are you drunk?" Titas asked.

"It's a Saturday night and it's Billy's birthday," she answered, stumbling slightly. "What did you expect? Next time give me a heads up."

"Wonderful," I said, watching as she grabbed onto the bars of the cell to help steady herself. "She can't stand on her own. I see how this will end well."

"Who is this?" She asked, gesturing at me as she pulled out a black case and crouched in front of the cell, resting her crossbow against the bars.

"Ignore him," Kristoff said as she went to work picking the lock. "He's just my annoying little brother."

"Thaddeus," I answered, narrowing my eyes at Kristoff.

"Oh," she said, wrinkling her nose.

Her response had me sending a glare to my brother who was trying not to smile and failing. "What?" He asked innocently. "You're a pain in the ass."

"How is it possible that anyone else in the world hears my name and gets scared, but you have this... This..." I glanced over, raising my eyebrows in surprise when the cell door opened.

The human rose from the ground, narrowing her eyes at me. "This what?"

"This nothing," Kristoff said, giving me a warning look. "We're grateful for your help as always, Winter."

"We'll see how helpful it is," I muttered, glancing up as I heard several footsteps. "More vampires have arrived. Please tell me it's not just you."

"I don't need anyone else," she said, crossing her arms. "I'm sorry, has my response to your name not been satisfactory? Let me try again." She cleared her throat and put on a mocking expression and tone. "I'm so scared," she said, setting her hand over her chest. "Not the Thaddeus, Kristoff's brother, full of himself and loves to confuse people. My God, I should be dropping to my knees."

"I don't mind if you do," I said, raising an eyebrow. "It's been a long day."

"Over my dead body."

"It's likely to happen given how this is going."

"You're big talk for someone at my mercy," she said, pulling out a stake and pressing it to my chest, making me stiffen. "I could kill you right now."

"You wouldn't," I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"My brother would kill you."

"Well, in that case, I guess I should just leave you both to die, shouldn't I?" She shrugged. "Sorry Kristoff, it's nothing personal."

"Thaddeus, stop pissing her off," Kristoff snapped. "For the record, Winter, you're providing more useful than my brother. I wouldn't touch you."

"Oh, look at who has misplaced self-importance," she said to me, smiling at me sweetly. "Guess that means I just have to kill one of you."

"Drop the stake," I said flatly.

"Or what?" She asked, applying more pressure, the tip of the stake digging into my clothes. "I'm really curious what you would do all tied up like this."

"When I get out of here, I'm going to fucking drain you," I warned.

"Well, you're only getting out of here with my help," she shrugged. "So I guess that means you're not."

"Winter," Kristoff said, his eyes shifting to the door.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she said, waving her hand dismissively as she slowly pulled away the stake, her eyes never leaving mine. "Keep it up, I dare you. I will leave you here to die."

"I repeat my previous question," I said while she pulled the strap of the bag strung across her chest over head and opened the flap, pulling out several small pouches. "You're not alone, are you? There are thirty vampires-"

"There are twelve vampires left," she corrected. "The rest are dead."

Dead. I frowned. She was so small, I could pick her up and toss her across the room even if I wasn't a vampire, on top of the fact she couldn't even stand still thanks to her intoxication. She was swaying side to side. "From your friends?"

She glared at me over her shoulder before her gaze shifted to Kristoff. "Does he have a death wish?"

"On the contrary, I enjoy not dying," I said, causing her gaze to snap back to me. "Which is why, forgive me, but I doubt the ability of a person that's so drunk she continually needs to check her balance."

"This is not me drunk," she scoffed, pulling from her bag, a...

Oh, she had to be joking.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I snapped, watching as she ate the takeout burger wrapped in yellow plastic.

"Dude, you were just bitching about me drinking," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sobering up."

"This is insane," I said, looking over at Kristoff. "This is literally insane. She can barely function. You do realize this is a suicide mission, I hope?" I asked, looking back at the human was eating her burger without a care in the world.

"You're one to talk about a suicide mission while you're talking shit to the only person that can get you out of here," she shrugged, taking another bite.

"Fuck, we're going to die," I sighed, closing my eyes briefly. This wasn't good. Juliette would take care of Enid, of course, but if the way Enid reacted to Amiah dying was any indication of how strongly she felt for us and she continuously called me her favorite...

"Well, you might," Winter said, finishing up her burger then balling up the plastic and throwing it at my feet. I glared at her but she ignored me, pulling two masks with plastic shields over them. She took one to Kristoff and fixed it over his face while I watched in confusion. Kristoff didn't seem confused, neither did Titas.

She moved in front of me with the next mask, but her eyes narrowed and she tossed the mask back towards her bag. "Yeah, you know what, I don't like you."

"Hate to break it to you, love, but I couldn't care less if you liked me."

She smiled, then giggled as she bent over and put her hair up in a messy bun. She straightened out, slipped her jacket off, and patted my face. My skin instantly burned at the contact, making me hiss. Blackthorn. The fucker had blackthorn on her skin. "You will."

The sound of several footsteps had me sighing as she stumbled out of the cell then took in a long, deep breath. Seconds before the first vampire came down the stairs, she tossed something on the ground that then exploded in a white fog.

Three vampires came into the fog and screeched, falling to the ground as their skin sizzled. It wasn't until then I realized the purpose of the mask, and was very aware I didn't have one.

"You shouldn't have pissed her off," Kristoff said, his expression much too amused.

I might've come up with a biting remark, but watching Winter work distracted me. The three vampires that slowed, she took a stake to their hearts until they were all on the ground. Then she came back for her crossbow that I didn't realize before fired more than one arrow at once. It was a tactical crossbow, but she must've made her own changes to it because she loaded it with six stakes and as the next vampires came down, she fired once and took down another three simultaneously.

I was on the verge of impressed when she then pulled out a flask and took a drink.

"Oh you can't be serious," I sighed.

"I don't usually do this," she said, glancing back at me and taking another swig. "This is purely out of spite 'cause you're pissing me off."

"You say I hire lunatics?" I hissed at Kristoff. "Are you blind? She is the epitome of insanity."

"You can complain all you want, but she's the only one not tied up and she's holding her own perfectly well," Kristoff pointed out, making me scowl.

The urge to argue was there, but more vampires came down the stairs and didn't get within feet of her. The blackthorn bomb that was now burning my skin, throat and eyes, wasn't her only trick. She came back to her bag and when the next vampires came down the stairs, she had a small, clearly homemade flamethrower that lit up the entire room as she burned them alive.

"She realizes this basement has wooden walls, I hope" I whispered to Kristoff.

Kristoff shrugged. "She hasn't gotten me killed yet."

"Yet is a very important word you're saying a bit too lightly."

Another vampire sped down the stairs, but this one was smarter. They went for her quickly and she was no match for their speed. A groan escaped her as she was shoved up against the bars, but the vampire then withdrew their hands as their skin burned from touching hers. Bloody hell, she must've had blackthorn all over her body. Winter used that moment of distraction to drive a stake into the vampire.

She rolled her shoulder, wincing slightly at the pain as the last vampire came into the room. This one grabbed her and groaned at the pain of blackthorn burning them, but held on and dove towards her neck. She rotated her shoulder as he moved and his teeth sunk farther back, away from the artery. Blood spilled out but the vampire began coughing and choking, backing away.

Winter drove a stake into the vampires stomach then kicked him down. She removed the stake, making the vampire cry out in pain, but then drove it back into one of his hands, pinning it to the floor. Climbing over the vampire, she grabbed the stake still strapped to her thigh and did the same thing with his other hand, driving the stake through and leaving him pinned to the floor.

She lifted a syringe and dove it into his chest as she glanced back at Kristoff. "Do you need anyone alive?"

"We got what we needed," Kristoff answered.

Winter shrugged, removed one of the stakes from her victim's hand, then shoved it through his heart.

My eyes traveled around the room. Twelve bodies. Twelve vampire bodies, laying there motionless because of one human girl.

Winter stumbled back over to us, making a face as she held her hand over the wound in her neck. She went back to her bag and pulled out a bandage, fixing it over her skin. Her motions were so automatic, like she'd done it a hundred times and wasn't bothered in the slightest.

"What the hell else is in that bag?" I asked.

Her eyes snapped to me, narrowed and annoyed. She didn't answer, just instead stood and walked over to Titas, using a pocket knife to cut his ties loose. She then went to Kristoff and did the same. Kristoff stumbled slightly, the blackthorn they stuck in us before tying us up still in his system. Winter held him up until Titas came to his side, taking her place.

She came to me next but didn't cut my ties, just stared at me while playing with the knife. Her eyes never left mine and she stood there silently, her stare intense.

"What?" I finally asked.

Her icy eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't trust you."

Then she raised a syringe.

"Don't you dare," I warned in a low tone.

She ignored me and plunged it into my neck. I groaned in pain as the blackthorn filled me, making me weak, my eyes starting to close without my permission. It couldn't just be blackthorn, I realized. She was putting me out with something, using blackthorn to make my system weak enough it would affect me.

"If we see each other again," she said just as my vision started darkening, "I suggest you behave better. Otherwise, next time it'll be a lethal dose."

A/N:

Heyyy loves, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

This book and the next 3 are complete on Patreon, and we're over 20 chapters into Darius's story. Link in my bio 💜

Lmao nothing like a drunk human coming to the rescue 😭

It really didn't take them long to dislike each other, did it?

Winter spiting Thaddeus by eating and drinking 💀

Something tells me he's not gonna be happy about her drugging him 😬

I took off this week cuz it's my and my man's anniversary, so these next two posts are scheduled. If you need to get ahold of me, don't expect a response until after Aug 12th 💜

Take care, loves 💜